The present invention relates to belt buckles, and relates more particularly to such a belt buckle which comprises a spring-supported belt catch for stopping the free end of the belt from reverse movement upon its insertion into the belt slot of the buckle body, and a loop connected to the belt catch holder of the belt buckle by a chain for holding the free end of the belt in place.
Regular belt buckles commonly have a locating pin raised from the buckle body for insertion into one of the longitudinal series of through holes at the free end of the belt to hold the belt in the fastened position. This structure of belt buckle does not allow the tightness of the belt to be adjusted stepless. Furthermore, the through holes of the belt tend to be deformed or ruptured after a tong use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,155 and British Patent No. 2,183,715 disclose an improved belt buckle which comprises a buckle body, a belt catch holder, a belt catch, a fastening plate, a spring plate, and a serrate plate, wherein the belt catch is fitted in a recess of the belt catch holder and joined together with the buckle body and the belt catch holder by means of knuckles and a pin so as to allow the belt to pass the slot in the buckle body freely and to catch the same as it retreats; the fastening plate is fitted in the space of the belt catch holder and jointed together with the belt catch holder by means of knuckle and pin so as to fasten the belt end; the spring plate is fixed to the fastening plate and engages one ratchet corner of the belt catch so that the other ratchet corner can move retractably; the serrate plate is mounted on the reverse of the belt for the belt catch to catch adjustably. The belt catching mechanism of this belt buckle is complicated. In order to keep the belt catch in the best engaging position, the spring plate must be properly adjusted by the user. Furthermore, the spring plate tends to be damaged or forced to deform when it is adjusted.
The embodiment of the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 899,327 entitled "HARNESS BUCKLES", comprises a back plate arranged for connection at one end with a harness strap, the other end having a slot and a cross bar, a spring-pressed lever fulcrumed and ranging lengthwise of the back plate, the lever having its free end extending into the slot for clamping the free end of the harness strap against the cross bar, and a hood on the back plate and extending over the lever to protect the same. This structure of harness buckle is functional, however it requires much installation space.
Furthermore, a belt may be equipped with a loop for holding the free end after its insertion into the belt slot of the buckle. Because the loop is simply sleeved onto the belt, it tends to slip out of the belt.